POLICY & MARKETS | TIMES THEY ARE-A-CHANGIN’
US nuclear milestones since 1942 ● Chicago Pile-1 (1942): Led by Enrico Fermi, scientists at the University of Chicago achieved
the first self-sustaining, controlled nuclear chain reaction, proving the fundamental principle of nuclear power.
● Atomic Energy Act (1946): This federal legislation established the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), transferring control of atomic energy from military to civilian hands and setting the stage for peaceful applications.
● Experimental Breeder Reactor-I (1951): Located in Idaho, EBR-I became the first reactor to generate usable electricity from nuclear fission, initially powering four light bulbs and eventually its entire building.
● “Atoms for Peace” Programme (1953): President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s proposal reoriented nuclear research toward civilian electricity generation, leading to the development of commercial reactor designs.
● Shippingport Atomic Power Station (1957): Commissioned in Pennsylvania, Shippingport was the first full-scale nuclear power plant in the US dedicated exclusively to peacetime electricity production.
● Energy Reorganization Act (1974): This federal statute abolished the AEC and created the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), separating the regulation of nuclear safety from the promotion of nuclear energy.
● Three Mile Island Accident (1979): A partial meltdown at this Pennsylvania plant became the most significant accident in US commercial nuclear history, leading to sweeping changes in emergency response and safety regulations.
● Energy Policy Act (2005): This federal statute provided significant federal incentives, including production tax credits and loan guarantees, aimed at sparking a “nuclear renaissance” in the US.
● Vogtle Units 3 and 4 (2023-2024): The completion of these units in Georgia marked the first new reactors built from scratch in the US in over 30 years, representing the first deployment of Gen III+ AP1000 technology. With an original budget of $14bn, the final cost for the plants reached approximately $36.8bn and took 15 years to build. The costs were passed to Georgia ratepayers through higher electricity bills.
● Restarting Retired Reactors (2025-2026): In what is recognised as the historic shift for the nuclear industry in the US in 2025 and 2026, major tech companies and utilities announced plans to reopen retired nuclear plants, such as Three Mile Island Unit 1 (which has been renamed Crane Clean Energy Center) and Palisades in Michigan, to meet massive data centre energy demands.
On 9 January, 2026, TerraPower and Meta announced an
agreement to develop up to eight Natrium reactor and energy storage system plants in the US. Acknowledged as Meta’s largest investment in advanced nuclear technology, Meta will get up to 2.8 GW of carbon-free baseload energy and up to 4 GW at peak. Under the commercial agreement, Meta will provide funding to support the deployment of the Natrium plants, with delivery of the initial units as early as 2032. While the TerraPower development is significant, the US
Department of Energy has selected the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Holtec Government Services to receive up to $400m each in cost-shared funding for early deployment of advanced small modular reactors (SMRs). TVA will build the GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 reactors at
its Clinch River site. The federal funding will also assist TVA in its plans to deploy other SMRs in partnership with Indiana Michigan Power and Elementl. Holtec will build its SMR-300 units at the Palisades plant in Michigan, aiming for early 2030s operation. Meanwhile, 1 MW portable microreactors designed to
replace diesel generators are also under development in the US. Radiant Nuclear has announced that it plans to test Kaleidos, a 1 MW portable, gas-cooled nuclear microreactor at Idaho National Laboratory’s DOME facility in the summer of 2026. The trailer-sized unit is intended for military bases and remote, critical applications, with initial customer
20 | April 2026 |
www.neimagazine.com
deployments scheduled to begin in 2028. Beyond the US, globally as of mid-2025, there were over 127 identified small modular reactor designs at various stages of development, with over 30 countries actively exploring their deployment. While many are in conceptual stages, seven designs are either currently operating or under construction in countries like China and Russia.
The Future? A complex balancing act The future of nuclear energy in the US stands at a critical juncture, balancing the urgent necessity of carbon-free baseload power against significant economic and logistical headwinds. While the resurgence of interest in SMRs and advanced, next-generation technologies offers a pathway to faster, safer, and more flexible deployment, the industry must overcome high capital costs, supply chain limitations, and regulatory challenges to succeed. To achieve ambitious net-zero carbon emission goals,
provide electricity for thousands of AI data centres that are now operating and planned, and to ensure grid reliability, a sustained commitment from both the public and private sectors is required to modernise the nuclear industrial base and secure public trust. Ultimately, nuclear power is poised to remain a foundational pillar of the US energy portfolio, but its long-term viability will depend on the successful, on- budget rollout of new, innovative designs. ■
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